Attoeneys



(Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. 1). MUSE.

GATE.

N0.280,754. Patented July 3, 1883.

WITNESSES INVENTOR:

BY M 42% W ATTORNEYS.

(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. D. MUSE.

- GATE.

No. 280,754. Patented July 3, 1883.

INVBNTO'R BY M ATTORNEYS;

N. PETERS. PhnloLRhcgmphar, Walhington, D4 c UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICEQ SAMUEL D. MUSE, OF MONTICELLO, MISSISSIPPI.

-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,754, dated July 3, 1883.

- Application filed October 18,1882. (Modem T0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL DUNN MUSE, of Monticello, in the county of Lawrence and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of my improvement. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a plan view of the operating mechanism at the top of the gate. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a front elevation of the same, partly in section. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is an under side View of the same, partly in section, through the line a; m, Fig. 3. Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a sectional side elevation taken through the broken line y g y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 6, Sheet 2, is a side elevation, partly in section, of the lower pivot and its bearings. Fig. 7, Sheet 2, is a plan view of the lower pivot-bearlugs.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the opening and closing of gates and promote accuracy and reliability in the action of the operating mechanism. I

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

A represents the gate, which may be formed by attaching the ends of inclined bars to a frame and securing the ends of the said inclined bars by moldings or in any other suit able manner. I prefer to make the inclined bars of the gate about three inches wide and one inch thick, and to place them edgewise with the plane of the gate, so as to offer little resistance to the wind and allow the gate to be opened and closed easily. Some or all .of the spaces between the inclined bars of the gate A can be made wide, and can have barbed wires secured in them, to prevent animals from rubbing or pushing against the said gate, only enough of the inclined bars being used to hold the gate-frame from being drawn out of shape by the tension of the barbed wires.

Bis the front or latch post. 0 is the rear or hinge post, which is connected with a sup plementary rear post, D, and thus strengthened in position by the bar E, attached to its upper end and to the said post D, and by the brace F attached to the post D, with its lower end resting against or close to the lower part of the said post 0. WVith this construction, should the gate A sag, it can be brought to a horizontal position by driving a wedge, G, between the post 0 and the lower end of the brace F. The upper ends of the posts B D are connected by a cross-beam, H, to keep them in position, and the front post, B, is further strengthened in position by braces I.

To the lower end of the rear bar of the gate A, at a little distance from its rear edge, is attached a pivot, J, the lower end of which works in a cup-shaped socket, K, attached to or formed uponthe plate L. The socket K is made larger than the pivot J, to adapt the said socket to serve also as an oil-cup. The plate L rests upon the top of a short sill, M, to which are secured, by tenons and mortises; the lower ends of the rear post 0, the adjusting-brace F, and the supplementary post D,

or upon a plate attached to the said sill, and

is secured to the said sill by two screws, N, the rear one of which passes through a hole in the socketplate L, so as to serve as a pivot to the said plate. The other screw N passes through a curved slot in the plate L, so that by loosening the screws N the said plate can be moved to adjust the bearing K, and thus true the gate. The mouth. of the bearing-cup K is covered by a cap, 0, through which the pivot J passes, so as to prevent water and dust from getting into the said bearing-511p and be coming mixed with the oil.

To the upper end of the rear bar of the gate A, near its forward edge, is attached a pivot, P, in such a position that a vertical line passing through the top pivot, P, will be in front of the vertical line passing through the bottom pivot, J, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, in which the said pivots are shown in their proper relative positions. The pivot 1? passes through a curved guide-slot in the plate Q, secured to 1 the connecting-bar E by the fulcrum-bolt S in the center and four or five inches in front of the rear post, 0, and by three auxiliarybolts one in its rear end and one on each sidewh1ch The lateral movement of the pivot P is limited by the curved slot in the forward end of the plate Q, and by the stop-plate 1 secured to the lower side of the guide-plate Q or the bar E, by a bolt, 2, and which is slotted to receive the said fasteningbolt 2 and the fulcrum-bolt S, so that the said stop-plate 1 can be moved forward or back, according as it is desired to give more or less movement to the said pivot P. The pivot P also passes through a long irregularly-curved slot in the forward part of the lever B, which is pivoted to the plate Q, a little in the rear of its curved slot, by the bolt S.

Upon the end of the rear arm of the lever R is formed or to it is attached a scgment,T, of a circle, in the convex edge of which is formed a groove to receive the cords U, and which is designed to equalize the leverage. The cords U lie parallel with each other in the groove of the segment or are T, and their inner ends are attached to the opposite ends of the said segment, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the lever B can be vibrated by drawing upon the cords U successively. The cords U pass over guidepulleys V, connected with posts set in the ground at the side of the roadway, and have weights \V attached to their outer ends,which weights should be of sufiicient gravity to keep the cords U always taut. In the drawings the pulleys V are represented as being connected with the side latch-posts, X; but in practice, the said pulleys should be connected with posts at such a distance from the gateway that the horses and carriage will always be out of the sweep of the gate while the said gate is being opened and closed by a person sitting in the carriage. The blocks 3, for the pulleys V, are attached to the upper ends of short tubes 4, which serve as pivot-sockets to receive the pivot-pins 5, attached to the posts that support the pulleys, so that the said pullcy-blocks can turn to accommodate the pulleys to the di reetion in which the cords U are drawn in opening and closing the gate. The friction between the pivot 1, the slotted plate Q, and the slotted arm of the lever B is lessened by hollow rollers Y, placed upon the said pivot 1?. Two rollers, Y, should be used, as the friction will revolve the said .rollers in opposite directions at the same time.

Z is a friction-plate interposed between the lever 1t and its support, and through the center of which the fnlcrunrbolt S passes. The plate Z has a recessed circular projection, 1), upon its upper side, which enters an annular recess, 0, in the lower side of the lever R. \Vith this construction, the lever R will be made to work true and will always be kept in a horizontal position. The lever R is held down upon its seat by a spring cap-plate, (I, placed upon the upper side of the leverR, and through the center of which the bolt S passes, the nut c of the said bolt resting upon the upper side of the said cap (I, as shown in Fig. 5. The lever R is covered and protected by a board, f, attached at its rear end to the post D and at its middle part to the connectingbar E, a

block, 9, of suitable thickncss,bein g interposed between the said bar E and boardfto support the said cover-boardf at the proper height.

Up on the forward end 01th c lever B i s formed, or to it is attached, an arm, 71, which, as the said lever comes into line with the gateway, strikes the proiecting bar 1', called by me a click. The click '5 passes through a short slot .in a projection formed upon the forward end of the guidc-plate Q, or in. the forward end of the cover f. The click 1 has a cross head, j, formed upon its base, and a pivotpoint, 7;, attached to the center of the said cross-head j. The cross-head j rests upon the projection or board through which the click i passes, and the point k enters a recess in the free end of the spring 2. The other end of the spring I is attached to the arm h or cover f, through which the clic i passes, so as to hold the said click in place. \Vith this construction, the lever 1% passes the line of the gateway, the arm h of the said lever strikes, pushes to one side, and passes the click i, which is then forced back to its seat by the spring I, and gives a sound loud enough to be heard by the person operating the gate, so that he can stop pulling upon the cord U when the lever It is in proper position to close the gate, and thus prevent the gate from being swung open upon the other side of the gateway.

XV hen the gate is to be opened, one of the cords U is pulled, which operates the lever R and moves the upper rear corner of the gate A from the operator and to the ran-ward. This movement of the rear end of the gate A, in connection with the relative position of the top and bottom pivots of the said gate, raises the forward end of the gate, which raises the latch q above the catches 91, so that the gate will swing open by its own weight. The gate is closed by pulling upon the other cord U, the operation of the mechanism being the same as when opening the said gate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The hinge-plate L, provided with the combined step and oil-cup K, and with one round hole and one elongated hole, the thumbscrews N in said holes binding said plate to timber M, and a mortise in said timber to admit cup K and permit the same lateral movement, in combination with the gate-pivot J, stepped loosely in said cup, as shown and described, whereby the gate may be supported upon the end of the pivot, the same may be furnished with oil, and may be adjusted and fixed in the vertical plane of the closed gate, as specified.

2. In a gate, the combination, with the lower pivot, J, and the adjustable cup-bearing K L, of the cap or cover 0, substantially as herein shown and described,'whereby the said hearing is protected from water and dust, as set forth.

In a gate, the combination, with the rear post, 0, the upper gate-pivot, P, and the cordoperatedlever R, of the plate Q, having curved slot, substantially as herein shown and described,-whereby the upper rear corner of the gate is made to move laterally and rearwardly by the movement of the said lever, as set forth. 4. In a gate, the combination, withthe guideplate Q, the cord-operated lever B, having annular recess 0 in its lower side, and the fulcrum-bolt S, of the washer Z, having recessed circular projection b on its upper side, and the spring cap-plate d, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said lever is made to-work steadily, as set forth.

5. In a gate, the combination, with the guideplate Q, having curved slot, and the upper gate-pivot, P, of the adjustable stop-plate 1, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the movement of the upper rear cor ner of the gate can be limited, as set forth.

.6. In a gate, the combination, with the cord operated lever R, having projecting arm h, of the bar t, having cross-head j and point 70 and the spring Z, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby an alarm is sounded when 2 5 the said lever comes into line with the gateway, as set forth.

SAMUEL DUNN MUSE.

Witnesses:

D. J. CANNON, J. A. RUssELL. 

